Fact Check: Video showing deaths from Hathras stampede linked to unrest in Bangladesh
A video claiming that Muslim individuals in Bangladesh raped and killed Hindu women is circulating online.
By Sibahathulla Sakib Published on 15 Aug 2024 12:43 PM GMT
Claim: A video claims to show Hindu women raped and killed by Muslims in Bangladesh.
Fact: The claim is false. The video is from the Hathras stampede in Uttar Pradesh, India.
Hyderabad: Following Sheikh Hasina quitting as the prime minister on August 5, there have been reports of over 200 attacks on Hindus and other religious minorities across 52 districts in Bangladesh, according to the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council.
Amid the unrest, a video claiming to show Hindu women who were raped and killed by Muslims in Bangladesh began circulating online.
A Facebook user shared the video (warning: disturbing visuals) with the caption, āHindus killed after brutal rape by Muslims in Bangladesh. Why are the countries who beat the drums of international human rights and humanity not protecting them!? Where is UNHRC?ā (Translated from Hindi) (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false.
A reverse image search traced the video to YouTube uploaded on July 3, 2024. The caption suggested that the video showed the aftermath of a stampede at Bhole Babaās satsang in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh and 122 people died.
This indicated that the video was old.
Further verification through a keyword search led to a report by News18 on July 2, 2024, with the title ā50k Attendees, High Casualties Among Women: What We Know So Far About The Hathras Tragedy.ā
The report stated that at least 116 people, including many women and children, lost their lives in a stampede during a religious gathering in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, on July 2, 2024.The incident occurred during a āsatsangā (prayer meeting) held in honour of a local guru, Bhole Baba, also known as Narayan Sakar Hari, which drew a crowd of about 50,000 people.
The photo in the report shows the same individuals seen in the viral video.
Another report by India Today published on July 15, 2024, with the title āHathras stampede | A litany of lapsesā also discusses the incident, noting that the death toll at that time was approximately 123 lives.
The report includes a photo captioned āA CRUEL END: Distraught relatives outside the Trauma Centre at Sikandra Rao, July 2 (Photo: AP),ā which showed the same women featured in the viral video and confirmed the location.
Hence the viral video claiming that Hindu women were killed in Bangladesh is false. The footage is from an unrelated stampede incident in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh, India.
